Hugh Downs
Hugh Downs | |
---|---|
Born | Akron, Ohio, U.S. | February 14, 1921
Died | July 1, 2020 Scottsdale, Arizona, U.S. | (aged 99)
Education | Bluffton University Wayne State University Columbia University (BA) Hunter College (GrDip) |
Occupations |
|
Years active | 1939–2007 |
Spouse |
Ruth Shaheen
(m. 1944; died 2017) |
Children | 2 |
Hugh Malcolm Downs (February 14, 1921 – July 1, 2020) was an American radio and television broadcaster, announcer and programmer; television host; news anchor; TV producer; author; game show host; talk show
Downs served as announcer and sidekick for
Downs started his career in radio in 1939 and began in
Early life and education
Downs was born on February 14, 1921, in
Radio announcer and programmer
Downs worked as a radio announcer and program director in 1939 at
Television career
Downs made his first television news broadcast in September 1945 from the still-experimental studio of
In March 1954, Downs moved to
On August 25, 1958, Downs began a more-than-ten-year run concurrently hosting the original version of the game show
Downs earned a postgraduate degree in
Downs was inducted into the International Air & Space Hall of Fame at the San Diego Air & Space Museum in 1984.[20] In that same year, he was certified by the Guinness Book of World Records (now Guinness World Records) as holding the record for the greatest number of hours on network commercial television (15,188 hours),[21] though he lost the record for most hours on all forms of television to Regis Philbin in 2004.[22]
A published composer, Downs hosted the PBS showcase for classical music Live from Lincoln Center from 1990 to 1996. Downs made a cameo appearance on Family Guy in addition to other television shows.[23]
Downs was seen in infomercials for
Downs appeared in regional public-service announcements in Arizona for the state's Motor Vehicles Division and for Hospice of the Valley, a Phoenix-area non-profit organization specializing in hospice care. He also produced some public short-form programs in which he served as host of educational interstitials.[25]
On October 13, 2007, Downs became one of the first inductees into the
Downs was inducted as a Lincoln Laureate in the Lincoln Academy of Illinois and was awarded the Order of Lincoln (the state's highest honor) by the governor of Illinois in 1967.[27]
Public service and political views
Downs was a special consultant to the United Nations for refugee problems from 1961 to 1964,[28] and served as chairman of the board of the United States Committee for UNICEF.[28][29]
Downs wrote a column for
The auditorium of
As part of Arizona's centennial celebration in February 2012, Downs narrated Aaron Copland's Lincoln Portrait on stage with the Phoenix Symphony.[34]
Downs publicly expressed support for libertarian viewpoints. He opposed the U.S. war on drugs and appeared in several pieces about the war on drugs and hemp.[35] On his last 20/20, he was asked if he had any personal opinions that he would like to express, and he responded that marijuana should be legalized.[36]
Personal life
Downs married Ruth Shaheen on February 17, 1944. They had two children, Deirdre and H.R.[37] Ruth died on March 28, 2017, at age 95.[37]
Downs held a private pilot certificate, and was rated for multi-engine airplanes, single-engine seaplanes, hot air balloons, and glider aerotow.[38]
Death
On July 1, 2020, at the age of 99, Downs died from heart failure at his home in Scottsdale, Arizona.[39][40] He was interred at the Christ Church of the Ascension Memory Garden in Paradise Valley, Arizona.
Film appearances
- A Global Affair (1964) as himself[41]
- Survival of Spaceship Earth (1972) as an interviewee, along with
- Nothing by Chance (1975) as executive producer and narrator for the documentary about the biplanes that barnstormed across America during the 1920s[44]
- Oh, God! Book II (1980) as a newscaster[45]
- Someone Like You (2001) as himself[46]
Books and short fiction
- Yours Truly... Holt, Rinehart and Winston. 1960. (autobiography)[47]
- A Shoal of Stars: A True-Life Account of Everyman's Dream: Sailing Across the Pacific to Exotic Lands. Doubleday. 1967.[48]
- Rings Around Tomorrow. Doubleday. 1970.
an anthology of Downs' science articles
[49] - Potential: The Way to Emotional Maturity. Doubleday. 1973. ISBN 978-0385037426.
- Thirty Dirty Lies About Old Age. Argus. 1979. ISBN 0895050331.
- The Best Years: How to Plan for Fulfillment, Security, and Happiness in the Retirement Years. Delacorte Press hardcover. 1981. ISBN 0385280769.
- The Best Years Book. Dell Publishing paperback. 1982. ISBN 978-0895050335.
- On Camera: My 10,000 Hours on Television. Putnam. 1986. ISBN 978-0399132032.
- Fifty to Forever. Thomas Nelson Inc. 1994. ISBN 978-0840777867.
a collection of essays
- Perspectives. Turner Publications. 1995. ISBN 978-1570362835.
50 selections from his ten-minute radio essays
- Greater Phoenix: The Desert in Bloom. Towery Publications. 1999. ISBN 978-1881096696.
- Pure Gold: A Lifetime of Love and Marriage. Arizona State University Press. 2001. ISBN 978-0971716001.
- Hugh Downs, ed. (2002). My America: What My Country Means to Me, by 150 Americans from All Walks of Life. Scribner. ISBN 978-0743234740.
- Letter to a Great Grandson: A Message of Love, Advice, and Hopes for the Future. Scribner. 2004. ISBN 978-0743262910.
- "The Longest Story Ever Told", Omni, March 1980
See also
- Newsmagazine
References
- ^ "Hugh Downs, Perennial Small-Screen Fixture, Is Dead at 99". The New York Times.
- ^ "A Matchless Library Television Archive: 1946–1982". atvaudio.com. Retrieved January 3, 2020.
- ^ "A Matchless Library Television Archive: 1946–1982". atvaudio.com. Retrieved January 3, 2020.
- ISBN 0740738534.
- ^ "Concentration". fiftiesweb.com. July 22, 2015. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
- ^ ISBN 978-0806984681. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
- ^ a b Lisa de Moraes (May 6, 1999). "Host Hugh Downs To Leave '20/20'". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
- ISBN 978-1468465235.
- OCLC 355281797.
- ^ "Hugh Downs Biography". filmreference.com. Retrieved January 13, 2017.
- ^ "2010–2011 Fact Book" (PDF). Wayne State University. 2010. p. 61. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
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: Cite magazine requires|magazine=
(help) - ^ ISBN 978-0786436972. Retrieved September 15, 2010.
- ^ "Hugh Downs Biography" (audio). Old Time Radio Researchers – via YouTube.
- ^ Bob Nelson (1997). "Hugh Downs Hosts Appreciation for Popular Physicist Motz". columbia.edu. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
- ^ Holston, Noel (March 19, 1986). "Hugh Downs Logs In Most Hours on Screen". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
- ^ "Hugh Downs, omnipresent television broadcaster, dies at 99". www.msn.com. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
- ^ "Monitor's Communicators". MonitorBeacon.net. Retrieved August 10, 2010.
- ISBN 157958411X. Retrieved December 4, 2010.
- ^ "Car 54, Where are You? Season 1, Episode 11, Catch Me on the Paar Show". tv.com. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
- ISBN 978-1578643974.
- ^ Holston, Noel (March 19, 1986). "Hugh Downs Logs In Most Hours On Screen". The Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
- ^ "Most hours on US television". guinnessworldrecords.com. September 15, 2011. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
- ^ "Family Guy, Season 3, Episode 8, The Kiss Seen Around the World". tv.com. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
- ^ Quill, MD, Timothy J. (February 2, 2007). "The World's Greatest Treasury of Health Secrets". Infomercial Watch.
Comments on the 2006 Book and Infomercial
- IMDb
- ^ Staff Writer (October 11, 2007). "Game shows get hall of fame". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
- ^ "Laureates by Year – The Lincoln Academy of Illinois". The Lincoln Academy of Illinois. Retrieved March 7, 2016.
- ^ ISBN 978-1135194727.
- ^ "Judy Collins, Hugh Downs win awards from UNICEF". Deseret News. March 1, 1998. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
- ^ Downs, Hugh (November 1, 1994). "Growing to a Position of Strength". Ad Astra. National Space Society. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
- ISBN 978-3642297175.
- ^ "Shawnee Plans Accolade for Retiring Hugh Downs". The Lima News. February 14, 1969. p. 11. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
- ^ "About". Human Communication, The Hugh Downs School. Arizona State University. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
- ^ "Alive and kicking! These iconic stars are pushing 100". AOL. January 20, 2016. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
- ISBN 0812691830. Retrieved October 14, 2010.
- ^ "Marijuana: Telling Teenagers the Truth about Smoking Pot". Retrieved January 4, 2020.
- ^ a b "Ruth Downs Obituary". legacy.com. March 29, 2017. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
- ^ "FAA Airman Registry". faa.gov. Retrieved May 24, 2002.
- ^ "American broadcaster Hugh Downs dies at age 99". ABC 15. July 2, 2020. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
- ^ "Longtime broadcaster Hugh Downs dies at age 99 in Scottsdale home". KPNX. July 2, 2020. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
- ^ "A Global Affair (1964)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
- ^ "Survival of Spaceship Earth (1972)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
- ^ "Survival of Spaceship Earth. [Motion picture]". Library of Congress. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
- ^ "Nothing by Chance (1975)". American Film Institute. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
- ^ Maslin, Janet (October 3, 1980). "Burns is Back in 'Oh God! Book II'". The New York Times. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
- ISBN 978-0740738340.
- ^ Downs, Hugh (1960). Yours Truly. Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
- ^ Downs, Hugh (1967). A Shoal of Stars. Doubleday.
External links
- ABC News' bio of Hugh Downs from 2003 (archived)
- Hugh Downs at The Interviews: An Oral History of Television
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- Hugh Downs at IMDb
- Hugh Downs discography at Discogs
- Hugh Downs at Find a Grave
- Hugh Downs Papers at the American Heritage Center